Tools for tracking your money are great, just so long as they don’t loose you in their cool charts and fancy graphics. You don’t want to let all those pretty pictures distract you from the main goal, which is keeping track of your personal finances. That’s not to say that tracking tools aren’t helpful, but sometimes all you need is a good template or spreadsheet. Of course the type of tracking tools you find necessary will certainly depend upon your level of money managing experience and the depth of your personal finances. With that being said, here are some tracking tools that might help you to better manage your money.

BudgetPulse.com

A free online budgeting tool, BudgetPulse offers a variety of money tracking options as well as help with how to save for large purchases, and access to their blog sites and forum. The part I like best about the site is that it doesn’t force you to put account numbers or financial information that you want to keep private out there and at risk of being seen by others. You can watch the brief video on their homepage to get a better feel for exactly how the site works and what it offers.

MoneyTrackin.com

A free online tracking site, at MoneyTrackin.com you can visit their blog, use the site’s saving map to find ways to save money that hit close to home, or discuss budgeting matters and discover tips within MoneyTrackin’s online community. They even offer tools for small business accounting. Take their tour to discover more about the site’s features and capabilities.

Geezo.com

Create money goals, utilize money alerts, or chat about ways to save. Geezeo offers a variety of tools when it comes to tracking your money. Get recent news at the Press Center, meet and discuss budgeting topics with like-minded members of the Geezeo community, or just crunch some numbers and look for ways to save when it comes to your personal finances. The site is free and offers a short introduction by way of a brief (1 minute and 37 second) video tour.

Microsoft Excel

I personally find that simple Excel spreadsheets are one of the most effective methods of tracking and managing one’s personal finances. You can build the managing devices that best suit your needs, get as in-depth or keep it as simple as you’d like, add graphs and charts if needed, and keep your personal financial information away from any prying eyes that might be lying in wait upon the internet.

Microsoft Money

As you might already have this software (at least in some version) installed upon your computer, it could be a useful and available tool for managing your money. While Microsoft is no longer making this software available for sale, it doesn’t mean that it can’t or won’t be a valuable tool for your money managing needs. Frankly, I sometimes find that older versions of particular software are actually easier to navigate before all the added bells and whistles start to gum up the works.

BudgetTracker.com

BudgetTracker.com is a free online tracking tool that allows you to manage your financial life. Among its tools, the site offers the ability to track bills, build a budget, utilize charts and graphs, create a custom calendar of reminders, forecast incomes, or manage your business.

Bill Organizer

If you’re looking for simple and basic, Bill Organizer might be the money tracking tool for you. Bill Organizer is a downloadable spreadsheet devoid of many of the extravagant features found on so many other sites. Bill Organizer allows you to keep track of where your money is going, when it goes there, and in what amounts.

PearBudget.com

PearBudget offers a 30-day free trial, after which the service runs $3 a month. While I find it difficult to pay any amount of money for money tracking tools, PearBudget.com’s wizard function makes getting started quick, easy, and relatively painless.

Debtsteps.com

Debtsteps offers plenty of advice regarding financial matters and a number of tools including, budget worksheets, a discussion group, interactive debt help where you can read a money horror story or tell one of your own, and budget calculators. The budget calculators can be used to determine things like mortgage payments, credit card payoffs, minimum payments, or build a household budget.

Mymoney.gov

Yes, even the government is getting into the act when it comes to helping you with your money. While they don’t offer the same type services as many others on this list, they do provide several tools to help you with your money management. A slew of calculators ranging from college planning and credit card repayment to home buying and investing are there to assist you with your money matters.

Tom writes about managing money at MoneyCompare.com.au where consumers can compare online savings accounts in order to get the highest interest rate and lowest fees for their money.

A carpenter uses a set of house plans to build a house. If he didn’t the bathroom might get overlooked altogether. Rocket Scientists would never begin construction on a new booster rocket without a detailed set of design specifications. Yet most of us go blindly out into the world without an inkling of an idea about finances and without any plan at all. Not very smart of us, is it? A money plan is called a budget and it is crucial to get us to our desired financial goals. Without a plan we will drift without direction and end up marooned on a distant financial reef.

If you have a spouse or a significant other, you should make this budget together. Sit down and figure out what your joint financial goals are…long term and short term. Then plan your route to get to those goals. Every journey begins with one step and the first step to attaining your goals is to make a realistic budget that both of you can live with. A budget should never be a financial starvation diet. That won’t work for the long haul. Make reasonable allocations for food, clothing, shelter, utilities and insurance and set aside a reasonable amount for entertainment and the occasional luxury item.

Savings should always come first before any spending. Even a small amount saved will help you reach your long term and short term financial goals. You can find many budget forms on the internet. Just use any search engine you choose and type in “free budget forms”. You’ll get lots of hits. Print one out and work on it with your spouse or significant other. Both of you will need to be happy with the final result and feel like it’s something you can stick to.

I wish I had known this in my twenties. If I knew how to budget and manage money I would be sickly wealthy by now.

My mother kept warning me about the great depression, and how it could happen again. But I don’t think we expected a recession in 2009. Anyway now all those people that used to waste money are trying to actually be careful now.

Some serial money wasters are now tightening their belts to prepare for what might be ahead.

Grow your own vege patch. Don’t be lazy and say you have no time. Join the club. Wake up to yourself, who has got time these days? Just get off your bum and do it!!!  Even if you only grow a few things to swap with your friends. You could grow spinach and swap it with a friend that has eggs…

Start using the bartering system. If you get something cheap, share it with your friends and hopefully they will reciprocate. I have a group of friends that are into bartering and they are great, but do not get involved with people that just take take take…

Cut your grocery bill down. Stop buying those expensive brands. Flour is flour in a different package. Sugar is sugar, and so on. If you think people are looking in your trolley to see what you are buying, you are being paranoid. Maybe you should see a phyciatrist. Check out 50 Fantastic Tips for Grocery Shopping and Why is everyone keeping up with the Jones’s

Make sure you have freezer. I know this sounds stupid but having a decent sized freezer can save you hundreds of dollars. See What food and drink can you freeze to save money. Buy bulk foods when they are on special and also freeze unused food before its used by date.

Don’t buy what you don’t need. That’s pretty obvious but people still do it anyway. If you have towels with a few tears in them, who cares? They will still dry you. If you have no towels at all, them buy some because you NEED them.  See Do you have a shopping and spending money problem? and Things that make entice you to spend more money

No one wants to waste money, however now days, we just can’t help it. Unfortunately all the progress and innovative gadgets we have in our everyday lives increases our living expenses ten fold. Below I have listed a mere 10 items that you can easily waste money on.

Home Mortgage:
Of course this is the big killer. Considering most home loans run for around 20 years, this adds up to a huge amount of interest. If you can pay your home mortgage off quickly, you can save thousands.
Shopping:
Avoid shopping at all costs. Even grocery shopping can be detrimental to any budget. Stick to your list of what you need. Do not go shopping for fun!!! You will often buy items you do not need.
Telephone bills:
Now that everyone has a mobile phone, it is almost impossible to avoid extra phone bills. They are convenient and always have specials deals, but could you do without it? How about just receiving calls and not making them?
Pay TV:
Get rid of it! There is enough to do and see in the world, why spend your time watching TV.
Eating out:
You can feed a family of four for around $200 a week, however one meal at McDonald’s for the family can cost over $30. So 3 meals a day for a week is $530. If you like the cafes and restaurants you can double or triple that cost.
Lottery tickets:
I have heard of people spending $20 a week for twenty years on the same numbers hoping they would come up. Some people are lucky and some are not. If only those people had invested that money and compounded the interest. They would nearly be millionaires.
Movie Tickets:
I cannot get over the price of a movie ticket. I like to wait until the movie comes out on DVD and hire it out. Then everyone can watch it for a mere $6.
Car washes:
Why can’t people wash their own cars? You can turn it into a bit of fun with the family..
Bank Fees:
The banks have really got the fees covered. Interest on borrowed money, transaction fees, monthly account keeping fees, and the list goes on. Find out what fees you pay and then figure out how to reduce them.. Its as simple as that!
Utilities:
We can all save money on our utilities, especially the electricity bill. Turn off un-used electrical items and lights.

Mitz Pantic writes articles for various sites including Fill Your Money Box, Free Computer Help, Tips4pc, Brisbane Computers and more.

Keep a positive attitude

When you succeed at saving money you are helping yourself. Pat yourself on the back for meeting your goals. Remember that just because you have determined to live by a budget, does not mean that you are “cheap”.

Be content with what you have
Remember that you have so much more than most people in this world. Do not view budgeting as doing without; but as being an intelligent consumer, and consistent manager of your money.

“Stretch” everything as much as you possibly can
For example, you can dilute these products with water, or cut them in half and they will work just as well: toothpaste, shampoo, hair conditioner, dish detergent, dishwasher soap, and laundry soap.Drink lots of waterIt is better for you, and much easier on your pocketbook. At home, the cheapest of course, is your tap water. However, if you do not like tap water or desire filtered water, you can still save money on bottled water by using these tips:

Buy the store brand – do not pay extra for name brands. When your bottles are empty, look for the bottled water machines at your grocery store. In my area, I can fill a gallon for only .25 cents. Compare that to .75 cents (or more) per gallon that you are paying in the store. Stock up on small bottles when they are on sale, and reuse them for lunches. At work and when dining out, always order water. It is usually free. If you take a bag lunch, take along a bottle of water or a thermos.

Always stockpile sale items whenever your budget allows for it
This is a huge money saver, and my all-time favorite tip. Stockpiling means buying enough of the item while it is on sale to last you until the next sale.

Spend as much of your budgeted money as you possibly can on sale items. “Loss Leaders” are the low-priced sale items that the grocery stores advertise to get you into their stores. They are hoping that as you stop by for the sale items, that you will do all of your shopping in their store. Don’t. Get the sale items and leave.

Shop around. Compare prices. No one store ever has the lowest prices on everything.Never pay retail prices unless absolutely necessaryUse coupons, send for rebates, and shop the sales. If you use the previous tip, you will always have on hand the things you need. You will not have to make special trips to purchase items at full price.

Don’t be caught by surprise – plan ahead. You will feel more secure knowing that you have a full pantry as well.

Make it yourself
Make what you need instead of buying it. My favorite thing to make is Laundry Soap.There are many things that I make instead of buying. One is Pickle Relish. Instead of paying $1.29 for a 10 oz. jar of pickle relish at the store, I buy the 46 oz. jar of whole pickles on sale for $1.50-$2.00. Then I chop the pickles in my blender or food processor. I save $3.00-$4.00 by doing this. I refuse to buy processed cheese slices. I buy store brand bricks of cheese on sale. The typical price is $1.20 for an 8 ounce brick. Then I process the cheese in the blender/food processor and add a little mayonnaise. This makes a great cheese spread that you can put on sandwiches, and it is much cheaper!

Shop the discounted bread stores
Did you know that most of the time the bread stores carry fresh breads? You can get baked goods for a much lower price. Most bread stores also offer promotions such as “frequent buyer cards”. Our local bread store gives discount cards. For each $5.00 purchase, they will stamp the card one time. When your card has 7 stamps, you turn in the card and receive a free $5.00 credit. These bread stores also carry snacks, spices, and mixes.

Pay your debts
Pay them off as soon as you possibly can, and do not charge anything else until they are paid for. You may want to cut up your credit cards, but be sure to leave yourself a low interest card so that you can take advantage of great deals online. You also may want to keep it for emergencies. However, when you buy online, make sure that you pay for your purchase as soon as the bill comes. If you let interest add up on your great deal, it is no longer a great deal.

Don’t buy it unless you need itNotice I said, NEED it – not WANT it. There is a big difference. Curb your desires, and learn to discipline your spending habits. Trust me, it can be done.Before you buy something, ask yourself the following questions

Is this something I can live without?
Do I already have something that I can use instead?
Can I borrow it from a friend or family member?
How long will I have to work to pay for this?
Do I really need this, or do I only want it?

Always use the Five R’sRepair, Restore, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – these alone will save you a bundle.If you will incorporate these tips into your daily life, you will save money – guaranteed.
This article is free for republishingSource: http://www.a1articles.com/article_1919_38.html

Patience is a virtue. It takes some character to exhibit such levels of moral excellence, but did you know that by doing so, you could save money at the same time? Read on to find out how you can economize by emanating the virtue of patience.

Have the patience to walk instead of drive. It saves you gas, parking and the stresses of driving. Walking improves your health and well being while saving gas money.

Be patient: compare before you buy. From personal clothing to health club memberships, from plumbing services to insurance plans, from car accessories to a new home; compare the offers of 3 to 5 suppliers or service providers before finally settling with one. Let them know that you are taking the time to search the market and they may just be able to offer you the best savings. Truly, the patient consumer is a winner!

Use coupons as much as possible. Be patient in cutting them out and going through them before making any purchase. Pack them together with your grocery bag or in the car so you can use the discount voucher at every opportunity. One can save $20 – $50, just by using the coupons.

Track your expenses. Have the patience to keep your receipts and record all your expenses, no matter how small or frequently they occur. By doing so, you are made aware of where every single penny goes. Furthermore, you will know when you have spent too much on clothing, when in fact you still need to settle your credit card balance, or pay the mortgage. You will have a better hold of your financial health, by patiently tracking your finances.

Hold-off and sleep on it! If you are about to purchase a $100 item, hold off the purchase until you’ve given it much thought, say sleeping on it for 1-2 nights. If after such time, you decide that you absolutely need and can afford the purchase, then go ahead. Nevertheless, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save by just sleeping and thinking things over.

Devote money in long-term investment. Understand that when you take up long-term investment, you do not need the money for now, and it is not considered as part of your daily finances. However, such money when set-aside will reap great rewards in the future.

Exude moral excellence by patiently saving for years to come, starting today!

About the author

Nicholas Tan wrote this article. Visit his website http://www.free-article-info.com/

Great ideas in this article from Nicholas. Saving money does take patience and a lot of self control, however some people are lucky because it comes naturally to them. I am not one of those lucky people.